Advice on keeping DS out of school

[CrazyAsBatshit]

When we applied for DSs primary school place, it was a "Good" school with a Recpetion class and 3 mixed aged classes.
Since we were given a place there, it's been put into Special Measures, the (very good and capable) Reception teacher has resigned and next year DS will be in a Rec/1/2 class with a teacher seconded from another school. It turns out that there are only 4 children in this September's intake.

DS is not four until late in the summer, so he doesn't legally have to be in school until Easter 2013. Is it a crazy idea to keep his playgroup place until then and send him to school at Easter when, hopefully, things have settled down / improved at the school?

That sounds like it might be a good plan. Can you meet his Teacher to be before teh summer holiday and raise the idea with them? You can defer by 2 terms quite simply now you have the place.

If you did send him in Easter 2013 would he have to go straight into year one? If so, I think you should send him this September 2012 so that he can settle in and you can work out if the school is the right one for him. It's mostly play based anyway in reception.

Because it's a mixed age class, he'd go into Rec and Year 1 and Year 2, if you see what I mean.
With regards to the new teacher, the last I heard the Head was making manic phone calls trying to find one for September to Christmas.

Oh, and it's a seconded Head at the moment too!

But going "straight into year one " or only doing one term of year R isn't such a problem in a mixed year class like the one OP is talking about.

Wold you be open to keeping him at nursery until christmas and then start in reception in January?
Both my DS were in a mixed R/Y1 class for 2 years because of they are summer birthdays and it was fine. The teacher will differentiate the work, but they do still learn a lot of new things in reception so being in that group for 2 terms would enable him to keep up with his peers.

I would send him this September, tbh. Better socially & you will have much better feel for what the school is doing to improve itself. I don't think you will have more confidence by waiting a year+.

Are you in a position to Home educate your dc. Just thinking it as an option especially if there is not much choice in your area and the schools are bad anyway.

Unfortunately I can't HE him. I'd love to, but DS1 is happy and settled at the school in question, and I have to work at least 2 days a week.
Verity - that is what I am concerned about, the class getting a capable teacher. At least if I keep ds2 out until Easter then the school should have appointed a permanent teacher by then.

DD's school was 'good' when her place was allocated and in Special Measures by the time she started (she went into reception in September) It was a pretty hairy time (for me at least) but it is out of SM already, and I joined the governors so I knew what was going on.

It has improved a lot I think, though I still has numerous reservations. In SM, AFAIK they are not allowed to recruit newly qualified teachers and there will be a very close eye being kept on them by ofsted and likely lots of changes.

ooh, WAIT.
Your DS won't be funded, I think. At least, DH heard this from DS's nursery head (very annoyed about the change). Only schools can claim funding in September after 4th birthday; used to be that nurseries or school could claim it, but now (locally?) only a school can claim that funding.

Dunno if funding status matters to OP?

I hadn't heard about a change in funding. We could afford the playgroup fees if necessary, but that seems really unfair.
Parental choice, my arse!

I just googled about the funding only being claimed by schools for 4yo, but can't find anything about a change.
Our LA online information booklet says
"All children can receive Early Years Education Entitlement (EYEE) starting from the funding period after their 3rd birthday until they either start in a local authority school reception class, or reach compulsory school age (which is the funding period after their 5th birthday)".

I'll phone them tomorrow to confirm, but reading that I think he'd be funded until the end of the 2012/2013 school year.

Just bumping this, in case anyone has more details about the funding issue

You are potentially talking about not starting your child in school until september 2013 but that is making a massive assumption. That is there is a place for your child. The fact that you have a place at the school now, means that you can defer but you cannot defer for the whole year and expect the place still to be kept for you in year 1, it will not. As of the end of the reception year your right to the place ceases. That is why most who defer send their child either after Christmas or after Easter.
Whilst you might think there will be lots of places that is also not the case. If the school has had to put together reception, year 1 and year 2, then that class has all the infants and cannot go above the 30 infant class size limit. Under normal circumstances the school has to accept up to the PAN of the school but in the circumstances that the school is forced to go above the 30 in the class they could and probably would say that they do not need to admit. I would not like to say what would happen if you go to appeal but it must be a real risk. I would definitely make sure that they start after Easter.
Please also remember that the school needs to be informed in writing that your child will be deferring entry, if they simply do not turn up in SEptember they will be removed from the roll after a set period of time

I am aware of that admission, but thanks for the heads up. Even with Rec/1/2, the class will still have less than 25 children in it.
Reception intake is normally set at 12 children, and it has been many many years since it took in the full 12. I should imagine it unlikely that it would lack spaces in Sept 2013, especially if still in SM.
Having said that, I intend to send him after Christmas or Easter - depending on the appointment of a good teacher.